29 Oct 2026
European Court of Auditors publishes annual report on EU research partnerships for 2025
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has published an 'Annual report on EU joint undertakings and assimilated bodies for the 2025 financial year'. This report presents the results of the ECA's audit of the 12 Joint Undertakings and assimilated bodies (collectively referred to as “JUs”) for the 2025 financial year. The audited bodies have around 800 employees and a € 4 billion payment budget in 2025.
According to the annual audit by the ECA, the EU’s research Partnerships – comprising 12 Joint Undertakings (JUs) and assimilated bodies – kept their finances in good order overall in 2025. However, the auditors issued a qualified opinion on the payments of the Global Health EDCTP3 JU. They also highlighted persistent errors in grant payments (mainly staff costs), uneven progress in implementing EU research programmes, and the risk of additional costs and delays in the ITER nuclear fusion project due to ongoing and significant changes in technical design requirements.
For more information: